This invention relates in general to submergible apparatus for controlling submarine oil leakage from an oil source at or near the sea bottom and deals more particularly with apparatus of the type which includes a collector or tank which cooperates with the sea bottom to provide substantial enclosure of the leakage source.
Off-shore oil exploration and drilling operations present potentially serious sources of water pollution. A break in a well casing at or near the ocean floor or a crack or fissure in the subterranean rock structure adjacent an existing well, due to pressure build-up, will often cause a serious oil leakage which is most difficult to control. Heretofore apparatus has been provided which includes some form of tank or receptacle which cooperates with the sea bottom to provide a substantial enclosure around a source of leakage and which includes a means for pumping or otherwise removing oil or water contaminated with oil from the enclosure. Typical apparatus of the aforedescribed type is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,667,605 to Zielinski, issued June 6, 1972; U.S. Pat. No. 3,681,923 to Hyde, issued Aug. 8, 1972; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,879,951 to Mason, issued Apr. 29, 1975. The present invention is concerned with improvements in apparatus of the aforedescribed general type. More particularly, the present invention is directed to an improved apparatus adapted for underwater mobility to facilitate movement from a construction site at or near a shore to an off-shore location, as, for example, the site of an oil well or oil exploration and to facilitate installation or erection at the desired off-shore site.